Stasis
by Culumacilinte
Summary: Karen Walker has lived in stasis, that is a state of stoppage, stability, immobility, all her life, until, that is, she falls for one Grace Adler. A GraceKaren fic. Oneshot.


Title: Stasis

Pairing: Grace/Karen

Summary: Karen has lived in stasis all her life, until, of course, she falls for one Grace Adler.

Warning: Femmeslash contained herein- beware! Actually don't- there is not nearly enough Grace/Karen stuff out there. I mean, can you not feel the **love**!

Karen Delaney-St. Croix-Popeil-Finister-Walker lived in stasis; she was unique from everybody else in that way. She existed from day to day, simply living, a rock with a martini glass in its hand; unchanging, immovable. She was Mrs. Stanley Walker, on a level above all the mere mortals who had to work and keep sober all the time. What was one man here or there, new clothes, whatever, it didn't change things. That was, of course, until, one day in the middle of a particularly dismal February, when Grace Adler waltzed into the office, humming outrageously off-key and looking unnaturally cheerful, and asked Karen how she looked.

"Oh honey, you look gorgeous!" she gushed, "The green silk actually makes that Raggedy Ann yarn of yours look like hair. Who ya all dolled up for, huh?"

Now Grace didn't know this, but, for once, Karen was being sincere. Grace _did _look gorgeous, and it was distracting Karen to no end. _Oh, shove off, Kare, _she thought, _Grace is your friend… flat chest, nonexistent hips and all. And that's all. Just for some reason, today, she really looks good. Like, really really good. And, oh my god, she has an ass! Ok, wow, girl, you're creeping me out now. But… hey! Who cares, right?_

Grace blushed and looked down at her hands. "No one Karen, don't be silly. You know I haven't got a boyfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Karen prompted.

Grace just raised an eyebrow.

"'Cause, y'know sweetie, I could rectify that problem if you want."

"Karen, please."

And Karen let it drop, but, from that day forth, if, here and there, she happened to catch herself discreetly checking out Grace's ass, or her wonderfully wiry arms, or her hair, or her lips- fantasizing, perhaps, what those lips might feel like on hers. Really on hers, lush and wet and needful, for it was not as though she had never kissed Grace before, quite the contrary, but… and then she would shake her head and tell herself that it was perfectly normal- a woman in her marital situation was bound to have a healthy sexual appetite. And then, to excuse her staring, she would make some witty remark on the horrific state of Grace's hair or makeup, and resume "working".

This state of affairs continued for some time, Karen thinking nothing of it, until, of all people, Jack noticed something. She was sitting with him, Will, and Grace in Will's living room, not really listening to the three of them talk, until Jack poked her.

"Um, Kare?"

"What?" She started, as though she'd been sleeping. "Oh, sorry, Poodle. Whaddaya want?"

"Erm, Kare…" he looked torn between giddy delight and revulsion, "Were you checking out Grace?"

Karen blinked, then laughed airily and entirely unconvincingly.

"Checking out Grace? Oh, I love you, Jackie, you're so stupid! What makes you say that?"

"Well," Jack gnawed on his lower lip, unsure of what to say, "You were kinda staring at her, and doing that little sucking-on-your-finger thing you do when you're turned on…"

Karen rolled her eyes expressively and sighed, as though this was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard.

"Don't be silly, Poodle- it's Grace Ampler!"

"Adler!" Grace shouted from across the room.

"Mm-hmm, whatever you say, sweetie." Karen said absently, waving a hand in Grace's direction

"Yeah," Jack said, giggling, "Just me, I guess."

Torn between disappointment and relief that Jack believed her, Karen glanced over at Grace wistfully and continued nursing her martini. _Tonight, _she thought, _I am so getting hammered._

Now, as everyone knows, while it's one thing to want a single woman, it is entirely another to want a single woman who wants a man. Not two weeks after that dinner, Grace had to go and run into a lamppost, and subsequently run into Mr. Leo Jewdocter and his horse.

Leo Karen hated with a passion.

And, predictably enough, Grace ended up going on what she insisted was not really a date with him, and came into the office the next morning all torn up about it. Karen did her best to pacify Grace, who, typically, would have none of it.

"Honey, what is the problem? It was just a kiss."

Grace looked at Karen as though she were insane. "Oh, no, no, no. You don't understand. It was a really good kiss."

Karen scoffed. It couldn't have been that good, if she wasn't sure about going out with him. However, before she simply told Grace she was a fool, as she ordinarily would have done, she was struck by a sudden inspiration.

"Sh-yeah! Show me."

"No!"

_Show you? _Grace's expression read, _Is she crazy?_ Not deterred, however, Karen persisted.

"Show me."

"No."

Some people might have given up by this point, but not Karen, who knew she could manipulate Grace into doing just about anything if she had a mind to.

"Come on. We're both stoned."

"Forget it."

"Shut up and show me." she snapped, giving Grace 'the eye'.

And so, Grace grabbed her and kissed her. Just because it was Grace, Karen had been expecting maybe a little French kiss, nothing remarkable, but the passion and ferocity with which Grace was currently ravishing her mouth defied all logic and sent Karen spinning far from where even her pills might have endeavored to send her.

Lush, wet lips soft against Karen's, a tongue far too skillful for it's owner, hands bracing her, softly caressing the sensitive curve of her neck.. All of these combined to make the kiss far better than all the pale constructions of Karen's fantasies. When Grace broke away with a small tug on Karen's lower lip, a small whimper escaped from somewhere in the back of her throat and she blinked, trying to get her ground back.

"Yeah," she muttered, glancing appreciatively at Grace from the corner of her eye. "You're screwed."

She didn't get it.

_Idiot! _Karen thought, _I as good as told you you were an incredible kisser without actually complimenting you, and you don't get it!_

So she went home and moped a bit in the company of a rather large bottle of Jack Daniel's, which, although it didn't help anything, was very fun. The next day she went shopping before coming into work, which was also fun. There was just something about shopping that Karen loved; her, her credit card(s), and all the high fashion designer clothes in New York. Plus, of course, she got to laugh at all the fat people.

When she actually got into work, Grace was practically in more of a state than the day before- pacing, muttering to herself, moping at her desk, and eating even more than usual. Finally, Karen nobly decided to take it upon herself to soothe her agitated friend- by whatever means necessary.

"Honey, what is wrong with you today? Is it still about that Jew-doctor boyfriend of yours?"

Grace stopped pacing for a moment and glared at Karen, who held up her hands and blinked rapidly in an obviously forced and very phony show of innocence.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Well, why the hell not, huh? He's an _amazing _kisser, isn't he? Ya like him, doncha?"

Grace sighed melodramatically.

"Well- yeah. He is, and I do, but…"

"But what?" Karen chirped.

"But it didn't feel right. I've got tell Will the truth--the whole truth."

All this came out of Grace in a rush, and it was obvious she'd been up all night obsessing over it. Karen sighed and looked at Grace understandingly, a slight smile on her face.

"Well, maybe it's for the best. Then you and I can move on with our lives. Out in the open to love freely."

Once again, Grace looked at Karen as though she was off her head, and Karen had to restrain herself from giggling.

"Karen," Grace said flatly, "we're not a couple."

"Aren't we?"

"No."

Karen grinned deliciously, now for the killer line.

"Well, all I know is when I woke up this morning, there was red hair on my pillow and lesbian porn in the VCR."

Softly she plucked at a few fiery-red strands of hair that had escaped Grace's hair clip, and smacked her own bottom, smirking salaciously. Grace blushed furiously and hastily stepped back, looking, curiously enough, guilty. This did not escape Karen, whose grin grew larger than one would have thought possible.

"Honey," she murmured softly, moving ever so slightly forward. "You're blushing."

A slight smile graced her cherry-red lips, and she trailed her fingers down the side of Grace's face, in what was almost, but not quite a caress; letting one finger linger softly, brushing Grace's cheek, ear, neck.

Grace opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a strangled "Karen, what-?"

"Hey, sweetie," Karen's voice was even softer now, "D'you remember that one time when I was jealous of your boyfriend, and you acted like a big lez trying to cheer me up?"

Grace's brow knit as she tried to remember and failed.

"Um, no… not really."

"You said I was beautiful and sexy and vibrant, and that anybody would be lucky to have me. You remember now, mm?"

Grace glanced nervously at Karen, though that was difficult, for she was now almost behind her, hands softly resting on her upper arms, her hot breath playing on Grace's neck.

"You," she grated out, "are an insufferable tease."

Karen smirked. "I know I am, honey, but shush- let me finish. Maybe you forgot, but I didn't. Now tell me- am I still beautiful and vibrant and sexy, or were you just saying that? Huh?"

"Well, y-yes, but…"

Grace fell silent as soft lips grazed her earlobe, sending a shudder racing through her, every muscle in her body suddenly as tense as a bowstring.

"Karen-" she broke off as Karen's teeth (_ohsweetmotherofmercy)_ bit down gently on her earlobe, her sweet wet tongue tracing the shell of her ear. "Karen, I'm straight."

Karen just grinned. "No you're not."

Grace nodded, acquiescing breathlessly, hardly aware of what she was saying. "No I'm not."

Karen's grin intensified, and suddenly she whipped Grace 'round and kissed her hard on the lips. A strangled sort of _meep _escaped Grace and she pulled away, staring at Karen in shock. Karen stared back crossly.

"Oh, come off it, honey, what did you expect?"

Grace shrugged, Karen was right, after all, and bent to kiss her again. When they finally broke apart, Grace strode back to her desk to retrieve her coat and quickly slung it on.

"You know what? Screw Leo, I am so going!"

Karen blinked at her. "Um, sweetie, where are you going?"

"Your house- you said something about lesbian porn?"

"Ah, so I did. Well, what're you waiting for? The smut ain't gonna wait all day, let's go!"

Grace grinned and dashed out the door, with Karen trailing behind her. And, as she ran after Grace, imagining what this afternoon was going to be like- watching lesbian porn with a gorgeous woman who thought she was equally gorgeous, she realized something and grinned. She was no longer in stasis. Karen Delaney-St. Croix-Popeil-Finister-Walker was moving.


End file.
